The UK has been plunged into a period of uncertainty. From the collapse of the pound, to the ruptured leadership of both the Tories and Labour, the past few days have felt like the greatest upheaval to our country I can remember.
My generation voted overwhelmingly against this result. How we now react will determine Britain’s future.
Media commentary on Brexit is crystallising into an increasingly poisonous civic divide. Reading my Facebook stream is an unedifying experience – differences in opinion have turned vitriolic, with the most of my friends and connections furious at the implications of Brexit for their businesses, quality of life, and sense of opportunity in the UK.
More than anything, we can’t understand where the Leave voters are coming from, and why they would pursue a course of action so obviously against their economic interest.
However, this demonisation of the other must end if we want to demonstrate that the UK remains a unified, stable country, with strong economic foundations in which global occupiers should remain.
In part, the healing processes requires a little humility from the Remain camp. Indeed, for many of us, this is the first time the system hasn’t worked for us on something that matters. We lost, and it’s a shock.
But the London professional class is not the first group of people ever to have things not go their way. A number of Leave voters wanted to try another route because things haven’t been going their way for a while. Their voices are normally masked by the structure of Westminster politics, with half voting Tory and half Labour. Combined, this group has shown its disaffection.
Two roads diverge
The uncertainty created by last Thursday can feel paralysing. This reflects the enormous gap between the best-case and the worst-case outcomes for the UK.
In the worst case, we could witness global businesses relocating to Frankfurt, Paris and Dublin, followed by a deep recession, a brain drain to Silicon Valley, and eventually economic challenge metastasising into political risk with a broken union and a divided country. “Independence” has been won, but isolation offers little protection from a fractious external environment.
However, with work, resolve, and a dose of humility, a more positive outcome is possible. We can achieve an amicable exit from the EU, a warm business environment, a public show of our openness to foreigners, and a retained union.
The fight has only just begun
The outcome rests in the hands of the UK’s politicians and citizens alike. Our first priority is to prevent a mass exodus of global and European businesses. We must communicate that Britain remains an attractive location for businesses and entrepreneurs, regardless of our status outside the EU.
In London, the hard work has already begun. As mayor of a resoundingly Remain city, Sadiq Khan has already professed his gratitude for the enormous contribution that European citizens and businesses make to London and emphasised that they remain welcome in the capital.
In many ways, London remains the same hub of exciting innovation and daring entrepreneurism it was last week when Twitter acquired London AI start-up Magic Pony for $150m (£112m). London Tech Week not only highlighted the digital innovation coming out of the UK, but also the commendable support it has from central and local government: whether in responding to the skills shortage, backing initiatives to better the capital’s connectivity, or supporting our ambitions to become a global centre for the internet of things and driverless cars.
Those of us that are disappointed in the referendum decision need to pick ourselves up and work together to ensure that the UK remains strong. We also need to re-ignite the youth who voted to Remain to fight for the future opportunities that Brexit has put at risk.
We still have a lot to offer the world, but we must unify to send a clear signal that Britain is still open for business. So let’s make the best of this, and ensure that ambitious organisations across the globe understand the UK is still a centre of entrepreneurism, skill and innovation – EU or not.
